Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

TURN TAVERNS INTO CLUBS.
FUN INSTEAD OF FUDDLING. .
LONDON, February 28th.—An im
portant raoasure has been introduced
into the House of Lords by Lord Lam
ington, formerly Governor of Queens
land. The objoct of the Bill is to en
able hotels to be made into social re
sorts instead of. mere drinking deiis,
and the suggestion is that this might
be accomplished by the introduction of
games and music and' by the substitu
tion of chairs and tables for tlift bars.
[This appears to be a scheme for re
establishing—with a difference—the
"Free and Basics," which were common
twenty years ago. Entertainments of
the vaudeville class began in England
in hotels; the music liall 'was an an
nexe of a bar. Several Companies have
bought up licenses and turned them in-'
to clubs—oncouraging temperance , by
paying the manager a commission only
on non-alcoholic drinks sold. " Some of
the shrewdest temperance reformers
argue that so long as hotels are only
allowed to sell liquor, they cannot be
reformed into places of healthy resort.
It has to be remembered that in British
towns there are many inns fitly termed
"gin-palaces," where most of tho trade
is at the bar; and that in tlie country
the public-house is often the only meet
ing placo of tlie poor, and is at pre
sent restricted to gossip and beeri Mr.
Billson,: Minister for Education, who;is
managing director of • a brewing com
pany, said that lie' thought there was
a good deal to be said for the'proposal
contained" in Lord Lamington's Bill.
The matter was discussed by'-Rowntreo
and Sherwell in' their book dealing
with - public" houses.' It would be. pos
sible in thelhotel-clubs of-tlie kind sug
gested to serve tea, "coffee, and non
intoxicants as well as intoxicants. Lord
Lamington's desire apparently wns' to
improve' the . present conditions without
wishing to encourago drinking. , '"Mr.
Murray, the Premier, asked if tho mea
sure were passed .would the more com
fortable -surroundings conduce to more
drinking? , Pending information - on
that.point,"ho was hot in a' position to
say positively how-he regarded tho 'pro
posal in the'Dill.] . ' ,'
$